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2019 NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by J.R., May 25, 2019.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors

Poll closed May 30, 2019.

  1. Warriors in 4

    16 vote(s)
    8.9%

  2. Warriors in 5

    51 vote(s)
    28.3%

  3. Warriors in 6

    46 vote(s)
    25.6%

  4. Warriors in 7

    6 vote(s)
    3.3%

  5. Raptors in 7

    44 vote(s)
    24.4%

  6. Raptors in 6

    15 vote(s)
    8.3%

  7. Raptors in 5

    1 vote(s)
    0.6%

  8. Raptors in 4

    1 vote(s)
    0.6%
Page 95 of 165
  1. biina

    biina Member

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    Before injuries, series was 1-1 with Raptors losing HCA and being abysmal on offence in Game 2.

    Raptors have simply taken advantage of Warriors being very short handed, a luxury almost every other teams has not had (except when Cavs got the stimulus package).

    Without injuries, series is more likely to have been 3-1 in favor of warriors and 2-2 at best. Raptors have not shown they could beat fully fit warriors in a 7 game series, even without Durant.
     
    #1881 biina, Jun 9, 2019
    Sajan, Patience, fckbandwagons and 1 other person like this.
  2. biina

    biina Member

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    GSW biggest challenge is winning Game 5.

    If they can eke out a victory in Game 5, they are more likely to win in 7 than lose the series imo cos I just dont see the Raptors being able to close them out in Game 6 on the road in the final game at Oracle, and if it comes to a Game 7, my money will be on the more experienced GS.

    One of GS challenges in this series has been injuries and fatigue (particularly in Game 4), which the remaining schedule would mitigate. Also , I feel GS has been playing like if they had the "Durant Return" card in their pocket,which I think goes out the window going forward. Boogie's game rhythmn will also improve with time.

    It will be interesting what adjustment Kerr makes for Monday (particularly offensively) e.g. think Green needs to start shooting those open looks, cos so far the Nick 'the mad scientist' Nurse has given him many after school lessons.

    If Raptors dont realize the urgency of the situation, and fail to close out on Monday, they may find themselves wondering what could have been come next Sunday.
     
    #1882 biina, Jun 9, 2019
    Deckard, B-Bob, Mr. Clutch and 1 other person like this.
  3. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    I believe this Raptors team has what it takes, I also think the Choke possibility is high but I mean the Worriers are depleted, you got to close them out.

    Raps are on a roll though from the moment Kawhi hit that ridiculous shot bouncing 4x off the rim.

    Ironically it was the Sixers who gave them fits.

    #Signature Moment
     
    #1883 daywalker02, Jun 9, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2019
    arabrocket and Patience like this.
  4. biina

    biina Member

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    Kawhi is experienced and proven - its the rest that I am worried about.

    I dont think they will choke, but that they might start to dream of being champions too early and not bring the required level of intensity required in a close out game.

    When you are up against a great shooting back court like Steph and Klay, anything can still happen and you need to bring your A game every time. Even Iggy went 5-8 against Rockets in Game 6 and was a big part of why they won.
     
    #1884 biina, Jun 9, 2019
    B-Bob, Patience and saleem like this.
  5. saleem

    saleem Contributing Member

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    Wise words.
     
    #1885 saleem, Jun 9, 2019
  6. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
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    Is Donald Trump going to invite the Raptors to the White House if they win? Or is he going to ask them to fund a wall on the Canada-US border?
     
    #1886 Easy, Jun 9, 2019
    chadyang likes this.
  7. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Donald Trump should lay the first brick of his wall himself.....big boaster.
     
    #1887 daywalker02, Jun 9, 2019
  8. yoeddy

    yoeddy Contributing Member

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    I don't think Nurse would let that happen. Or quite frankly, I don't see anyone on the team who doesn't have the character to bring the intensity to this next game.
     
    #1888 yoeddy, Jun 9, 2019
  9. MD_in_Training

    MD_in_Training Member

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    What's the point of bringing Trump into this? What does a NBA series have to do with politics?
     
    #1889 MD_in_Training, Jun 9, 2019
    Sajan likes this.
  10. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Poor Warriors, don't have 10 all-stars and now they're "short-handed". :D

    Oh, the game they had a chance to tie/win despite being "abysmal"?

    Projection much?

    LOL Raptors have absolutely shown they can beat the Warriors even without Durant.

    Warriors have their guys out there. Klay missed one game. Not two, not three, not the entire series. but but but but he's not 100%! And you think Kawhi or Lowry or anyone on the Raptors are?

    Game 5: 42 minutes, leading scorer for the Warriors (28 points), 61% from the field, 60% from three. Looks healthy to me. Looney gutted out 20 tough minutes, gave them 10 & 6.

    I'm sorry your Warriors are losing. Even if they lose this one, 3 out of 5 ain't bad. It'll be OK.

    Cocky Warriors fan biina* was so confident -- so much depth & experience! -- but now he wants to hide behind "injury". :D
    *Check the posting history.

    http://forums.warriorsworld.net/main
    https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=15
    https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/warriors/

    [​IMG]
     
    #1890 J.R., Jun 9, 2019
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  11. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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    Oof. It's like professional wrestling when it looks like a pile driver happened for real.
     
    #1891 B-Bob, Jun 9, 2019
  12. JumpMan

    JumpMan Contributing Member
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    Without Durant, the Warriors are beatable by teams like the Raptors who maybe aren't as talented, but who run a system that maximizes their talent and is malleable to their opponent. The Warriors used to be revolutionary, but they're not doing anything that is confusing teams like the Raptors anymore. I thought the Warriors would win anyway because I believed their players would run their system better than the Raptors, but I underestimated Kawhi and his effect on the Raptors.
     
    #1892 JumpMan, Jun 9, 2019
  13. Juxtaposed Jolt

    Juxtaposed Jolt Member

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    They JUST won 2 in a row at Oracle, and you don't think these Raptors have what it takes to close out a pressure game? It's not like the Raptors built a huge lead only to let GS come back and win 2 close games at Oracle. Raptors took a heavy swing from Curry in game 3 and weathered any GS run in game 4, and won both games comfortably.

    After losing game 2 in Toronto, everyone expected the Raptors to fold and to get gentleman's swept. You're giving no respect to the Raptors (the 3-1 series leading Raptors) at all, and it's really baffling as to why.
     
    #1893 Juxtaposed Jolt, Jun 9, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2019
    arabrocket, LosPollosHermanos, Hakeemtheking and 1 other person like this.
  14. Mazulis

    Mazulis Member

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    I think Toronto killed Hamptons era . Worriors are lost , they wont be able to recover after game 4.
     
    #1894 Mazulis, Jun 9, 2019
  15. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Kevin Durant's absence in Game 4 led to some irritation among his teammates who couldn't understand why he wasn't available.
    With how the series has transpired thus far, seeing multiple Warriors playing through ailments of their own while trailing 3-1, it's easy to see why there is some confusion and frustration from Durant's teammates. He might be playing if it were up to him, but the decision regarding his availability has been left with trainer Rick Celebrini. Durant just simply isn't healthy enough to play, and Amick mentioned that sources within the Warriors have believed for some time that Game 5 was the earliest Durant may be available to go. All in all, it has become clear that Durant's injury wasn't as minor as first thought and that he may not return at all this postseason.

    https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2019/06/frustration-builds-over-durants-playing-status.html
    There’s “some internal optimism” in the Warriors’ camp that Kevin Durant will be able to return for Game 5, but the day-to-day uncertainty regarding his status is frustrating his teammates, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.

    Sources tell Amick that many in the organization expected Durant to come back for Game 4 and play through the pain like Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney are all doing. Amick points out that the decision isn’t Durant’s to make. His availability is determined by trainer Rick Celebrini, who hasn’t deemed him ready to play.

    Two sources say that Game 5 has always been the earliest realistic date for Durant’s return. He still hasn’t been able to practice since straining his left calf May 8 in the conference semifinals.

    Still, there was tension in the locker room Friday night among some players who didn’t understand why Durant didn’t try to take the court in such a pivotal game. The Warriors had a chance to tie the series on their home court, but now they head into tomorrow night with their season on the line.
     
    #1895 J.R., Jun 9, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2019
  16. LabMouse

    LabMouse Member

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    The GS players need KD now? That is so funny, since there’s a theory that GS is better without KD, and so many fools think that it was so right.

    I hope KD just leaves after this.
     
    #1896 LabMouse, Jun 9, 2019
    Invisible Fan and Little Bit like this.
  17. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    #1897 J.R., Jun 9, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2019
  18. Little Bit

    Little Bit Member

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    If his calf injury is worse off than expected then he can risk a possible Achilles injury if he comes back to early.

    The Warriors were basking in the narrative that they were better without KD when they were winning games. Now they want him to risk further injury to save their ass? After the way Draymond talk crap about him during year? After the owners treated him like second class at their championship parade?

    F**** them.
     
    #1898 Little Bit, Jun 9, 2019
    Hakeemtheking likes this.
  19. Juxtaposed Jolt

    Juxtaposed Jolt Member

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    The Durant thing is probably a smokescreen. Hell, they'll probably make Durant "active" before the game starts (as close to the deadline of announcing the roster as possible) just to mess with the Raptors.

    And I'm all for it, as sneaky as that is. He'll ride the bench, but I don't think Durant will play.
     
    #1899 Juxtaposed Jolt, Jun 9, 2019
  20. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos Houston only fan
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    its ridiculous, the raptors are known for being all time chokers....and they looked cool as cucumbers in the clutch. Didn't even celebrate after the win Kiwi's composure is contagious as hell
     
    #1900 LosPollosHermanos, Jun 9, 2019
    JumpMan, Hakeemtheking and daywalker02 like this.
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